Post by ScottCollins on Apr 12, 2014 17:54:25 GMT -5

So I've been mulling this idea around in my head since the January game where we discussed this idea a bit. We need to recruit a lot more than we have been these past few months. Organize with the guys in your area and get a small group together! If we can get enoguh dedicated player what we might be able to do could be something like the WWI reenactors at Newville. We could possible either get a current field owner to lend the field to us to use for a weekend or so and he'd promote the game the month previous. Or what is a more insane idea is actually buying the field ourselves. Maybe every event we just charge $5 extra and that goes toward a field. Then, like I said we could do as the WWI reenactors do and have weekend that there is no reenactment, just people coming to build defenses and stuff like that.

I know it's far fetched that it will actually come to fruition but I think that if all the groups currently operating in the US come together it might be plausible.

Post by 2nd Bat on Apr 12, 2014 19:12:53 GMT -5

Field ownership in an area reasonable accessable by a large population of players is going to cost a lot more then an additional $5.00 per event per participant. It does sound however that some of the folks in the New England area have access to a good site that they are developing specifically for WW2 airsoft. I have a fabulous location of 120 acres in Washington that I use but of course that is in the Pacific Northwest. Whatever the region its critical that someone take the reins and organize and promote events as without reasonably consistent, formal events, interest quickly wanes.

my biggest pet peave are all the lurkers and posters here on this site by people who never attend events saying their impressions aren't ready yet. Just find a way to come and what you'll discover is that missing items are either not that big a deal or someone has loaner gear that can get you handled. CHAIRSOFTERS piss me off.

Impressions are ALWAYS a work in progress. We are averaging eight new members each week so the interest is definitely growing and as we discovered at Nates last game (Remagen) two thirds of the people who came aren't even active on this board.

Stalin should have known communism wouldn't work. There were red flags everywhere!"

Post by ssgjoe on Apr 13, 2014 0:20:46 GMT -5

I don't have many players here, so I really can't go to a WWII event that easy. But I have been bringing together people that are interested and some that actually have a kit. So far we have 80 people in the group. Only 15-20 have working kits, and we just show up to public events in our gear. We are working together with a field in our area planning for a WWII event in August.

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Post by Obergefreiter Raimund on Apr 24, 2014 12:35:28 GMT -5

I spoke with my wife and I'm going to look to purchase a field specifically for WW2AA events.

The issues are always location, layout of the land, city ordinance laws, State Laws and insurance policies. Then the issue is how much we’d have to charge to do the events on the land so that we can afford the property taxes, administration costs and the cost of the insurance policy for the year. It is no small order to do these things and there is never any guarantee that enough people would be invested in going to events for say $35.00 in the upstate New York.

Post by ScottCollins on Apr 24, 2014 13:31:44 GMT -5

Raimund, my idea was to get a field in Pennsylvania and we would all be able to have a base of operations and People from NY, NJ, CN, MI, and WI could get there reasonably. I mean, I don't mind driving 14 hours to go to a good event but it's finding the drivers to do so.

Post by Obergefreiter Raimund on Apr 24, 2014 13:54:02 GMT -5

Raimund, my idea was to get a field in Pennsylvania and we would all be able to have a base of operations and People from NY, NJ, CN, MI, and WI could get there reasonably. I mean, I don't mind driving 14 hours to go to a good event but it's finding the drivers to do so.

Our unit would attend events in PA. That is very feasible. I'm still going to try and build my own field for use; but we can coordinate events so that they do not conflict.

If you shoot me a PM with your phone number, I'd love to talk with you about doing a field in PA! That sounds exciting as some of the larger groups could all attend more easily and with relatively the same distance drives.

Post by insterburger on Apr 25, 2014 23:26:55 GMT -5

This is already in the works in the Northeast, actually. Jerry, my fellow leader in Heeresgruppe Nord-Ost, has been seriously discussing the possibility of developing some land he has in upstate NY as a dedicated WWII airsoft venue-- even perhaps being able to construct a small ruined European village and other installations that will look the part somewhat better than the palette and cardboard concotions at most fields.

That's not to preclude anyone else from working toward the same goal-- on the contrary. But I would say that a future with a private venue specifically tailored to WWII airsoft is looking extremely realistic in the NE.

Post by ScottCollins on Apr 26, 2014 0:33:30 GMT -5

The main problem is that for a centralized and united group, that is not the most ideal location. I mean that's really great but what I was talking about is a unified group and a place where it's about an equal drive for every major group. Pennsylvania would unite the Midwest, Northeast and ever parts of the Southeast what with the Georgia reenactors! Likewise if you set up a big thing there I would most likely make every effort to come and support each game.

Post by insterburger on Apr 26, 2014 8:16:15 GMT -5

I hear ya, Scott, but honestly we should feel grateful and lucky if we can set up a dedicated WWII field ANYWHERE. Yes, Penna would be much more centralized, and maybe there will be a time when someone will be willing to make that sort of commitment. But I do think it's asking a lot of anyone to invest in land that is fairly distant from where they live.

Personally, if I ever were in the position to purchase rural land (and I may be some day), I would almost certainly go for Pennsylvania. Drivable from the New York area with fewer idiotic laws (especially gun laws) than other states in the NE. It would far and away be my first choice. Of course as soon as I hit the lottery, y'all can choose the location for my combined airsoft field/remote control big rig park!

Post by LϟϟAH1944 on May 2, 2014 19:44:05 GMT -5

Why a dedicated field? It is what the GWA does, and thus, they only do 2 events a year. why? because it gets boring. And I doubt anyone is willing to put $50,000 into enough land. even if theres 50 of us-which theres not- its still out of budget. then you get the people who split off, are always unhappy, etc., etc.

Post by Jerry-ADK on May 3, 2014 9:13:52 GMT -5

Why a dedicated field? It is what the GWA does, and thus, they only do 2 events a year. why? because it gets boring. And I doubt anyone is willing to put $50,000 into enough land. even if theres 50 of us-which theres not- its still out of budget. then you get the people who split off, are always unhappy, etc., etc.

Post by Jerry-ADK on May 3, 2014 9:44:40 GMT -5

but, in a way, Grahm is kinda right, about a dedicated field like that only having 2 events a year. Why, not because WW2 airsoft is boring, but more because of the logistics involved in planning a large scenario or event. Its a lot of work and most of us only have enough energy to put into planning one big event a year. But thats ok, cause if each of us did one event a year at a different field each time it wouldn't get "boring". If each of us build mobile defenses/ props, such as wire traps, bunkers and sand bags or log walls, that could be trailered and easily moved. we could have a WW2 field anywhere. Having mobile props is a suggestion that Raimund and I talked about. We could set out some designs or guidelines as to what would be acceptable for WW2AS as far as these are concerned. Lets just get away from fields with pallets and tarpaper.

Post by ssgjoe on May 3, 2014 9:55:32 GMT -5

I've seen places in Europe where they would hold an airsoft event in a period looking village. I'm not sure if it was specifically made for airsoft, but it would be fun to do some urban fighting in period looking villages, not a collection of kill housed put together to look like a village

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Post by Jerry-ADK on May 3, 2014 10:07:39 GMT -5

I've seen places in Europe where they would hold an airsoft event in a period looking village. I'm not sure if it was specifically made for airsoft, but it would be fun to do some urban fighting in period looking villages, not a collection of kill housed put together to look like a village

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that would be great if such a place existed anywhere near here. I was thinking of doing something like this on my 12 acres of land in upstate NY, but thats years away. what would be more feasible is to have some pill boxes and bunkers put in to simulate a fortified woodland position. Much of the fighting in ww2 happened in the woods and in rural places so id be happy with that. Building convincing mobile bunkers. Add in some sand bags and wire traps too. And the nice thing is that you could set up in a day and break it down fast too. no need to build permanent time consuming structures.

Post by 2nd Bat on May 3, 2014 13:52:35 GMT -5

I know I have talked about this before but in the 50s and 60s the US Army had equipment specifically designed to create artificial bunkers out of foam. They had chicken wire mesh patterns which a set of spray equipment then squirted grey tinted foam over. These fake bunkers looked amazingly real and followed the shapes of common concrete bunkers. They were strong enough to withstand moving them around and light enough to do so with just a couple guys. They were placed on flat ground but over shallow holes would be occupyable bunkers. With some green "moss" painted on and a little camo they would be hollywood cool and still function as defensive positions. (for airsoft) Walls that simulated blown apart villages could be done similarly I would think. with mostly corner sections they could be set up quickly and not take too much space to transport.

My burlap sand bags filled with shredded cardboard work very well also at creating fortifications. (i now have over 300 of them) I looked at plastic sections of gutter at a hardware store and realized that they could be triangulated and painted to look like the beach obstacles or road block iron often seen. These kind of props are quite doable and the materials really aren't that expensive.

Post by ssgjoe on May 3, 2014 18:25:17 GMT -5

Is there a way a civilian can get ahold of this equipment? If you had a big budget, you could by those cans that spray foam for repairing cracks and use that, then paint it gray and add the moss effect you said. But that would take a LOT of those cans for a single bunker.

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Post by 2nd Bat on May 3, 2014 21:11:06 GMT -5

the expandable foam is commercially available at plastic suppliers such as TAP plastic and the grey color can be mixed in. It would be expensive but not horribly so. Foam stone effects are also used for theatrical sets. Interestingly sometimes (in fact often) following. Long productions the sets are simply thrown out. I have attended many productions where I would have loved to have scavenged the residue to repurpose. Having a ready means to haul it and a place to store it is the capper.

Stalin should have known communism wouldn't work. There were red flags everywhere!"

Post by Jerry-ADK on May 3, 2014 23:10:10 GMT -5

spray foam insulation can be bought in a larger quantity than the small cans you see in the hardware store. My buddy bought a large kit that allowed him to spray foam an entire room for around $150 bucks. As far as bb's penetrating I doubt that they would if the wall thickness is about 2 inches. you could also smear flexicrete on the outside which would make a masonry shell over the foam. It would add some weight but not much.

Post by insterburger on May 4, 2014 8:20:46 GMT -5

Amen! Individual BBs would leave pock marks and sustained automatic fire could start to significantly wear away the wall-- not unlike actual bullets. If the thickness is sufficient it's not a problem at all, and if you can't go that thick, as Jerry said there are other agents that could be added to the wall section that would thwart penetration. Rather than choose a material that would stop BBs entirely, I would be looking for something that would help them emulate real concrete.

Post by Jerry-ADK on May 4, 2014 8:47:57 GMT -5

Im invisioning a light Wood Frame with Hardware cloth or small gaged chicken wire stretched over it to make the basic shape of a concrete pill box. Then spray foaming both the outside and the inside to cover it. Then using grey spraypaint or primer to finish it. If holes get eaten away in the structure from incoming enemy fire, they could easily be repaired by using a small can of spray foam and repainting after the event is over. Or just leave them and use a little Hollywood craft to touch them up to look like battle damage. If a bunch of us had such an implacement, and a small car trailer, we could quickly populate any field anywhere to be very playable. And as 2nd Bat said it could be taken one step further to make ruined buildings. Look at the work they do in movies like Lord of the Rings. All the caves and such , its all made out of spray foam.

Post by ssgjoe on May 4, 2014 10:07:57 GMT -5

What I always thought would be fun, but I'm not sure it's going to happen, is if we dug deep wide trenches, and at some parts made sections that were a bit bigger, kinda like rooms, then we covered the floor, walls, and opening with some hard wood. Then for the wood covering the opening, we put some 2x4 braces on it to make it stronger for when people run over it. We'd spray that stuff (I can't recall the name) on the wood to make it waterproof, then we cake it in concrete and make an underground bunker system. It would be pretty shallow, and it doesn't need to be too big, but it would appear to be underground. And we could try to get the concrete to protect the wood from moisture. But that might be a little expensive. I don't know if my post was easy to understand lol

"There are only two types of men who are going to stay on this beach those who are already dead and those who are going to die"

Dracul: It looks like it lost a lot of steam and I now feel bad for randomly dropping off. Jun 15, 2018 14:58:17 GMT -5

stuka: I mean it's not your fault. It is interesting though that things are falling off as we are finally getting our ww2 guns with the type 38/96 and the enfield as well as it recieving a new loading system, it's kind of unfortunateJun 16, 2018 3:30:04 GMT -5

Dracul: I don't know, maybe its because all the guns are becoming available, there is a decreasing need for the forums. Jun 16, 2018 16:29:26 GMT -5

Dracul: Most of the talk was about making guns, as all the uniform info was already out there, but now the weapons are out there and are usually decent quality. Jun 16, 2018 16:33:32 GMT -5

stuka: well the forum is and should still be useful for updates on guns, creating groups/events and building kitsJun 18, 2018 1:33:29 GMT -5

Cpl. Hicks: I haven't been here in years, but I'm glad to see this forum is still kicking! So much great info on here.Jun 22, 2018 14:00:12 GMT -5

Dracul: I think Redwolf has a Enfield. If not or not longer, then not until G&G releases theirs. The old gas Iron Airsoft brand SMLE isn't carried by anyone anymore and was such piece of crap. Not worth trying to track one down. Jul 19, 2018 5:55:35 GMT -5